A (5:32)
That was the only remotely political thing that she has said throughout this Olympic journey. And honestly, like, I watched that clip, and I was like, who cares? She's a zoomer daughter of immigrants who was raised in Oakland, California. She definitely looks alt. She has crazy dyed hair and piercings. Like, big whoop. She's probably on the left. Anybody could see that. Color me shocked. I really don't care because she's an amazing skater and she made me feel something, but what so many people loved about her. And when I say people, I'm meaning, you know, common sense conservatives and normal Americans. What people loved is that when she got to Milan to compete, it felt like she checked her personal politics at the door. Not that there was a lot to check, because honestly, she doesn't really make politics about her sports identity. Like, she is just focused on ice skating 24 7. And during the Games. Aside from that clip back in October, the only political thing that she was even remotely connected to was when the pansexual, anxious LGBTQ ice skater Amber Glenn, who was upset to be competing for America, as you guys remember from that old episode, when she posted pictures of her and Alyssa on TikTok and she captioned it this. She said, they hate to see two woke bitches winning. That was it. That is the only political thing that Alyssa was connected to. But Alyssa never piled onto that. She didn't continue the conversation. She never made her own post. She has been solely focused on skating and winning. Maybe. Maybe Amber should have tried that, because I don't really remember her winning. Anyway, just kidding. Moving on. The point is, people love Alyssa Liu regardless of politics. And in large part, she has not been political. She has just emerged as this joyful and honestly pretty patriotic national treasure who the entire country, regardless of political allegiance, was able to rally behind. However, people can't just let us have our fun. Everything has to become polarizing. It has to become political. And so the left obviously is desperate to claim her as their own, which is fine, who cares? But now they're saying that we can't like her either. And they're actually relentlessly mocking conservatives on social media for enjoying her performances and cheering her on. Just look at these tweets. One guy said, I'm so confused by right wing accounts trying to claim her as if she isn't clearly a woke bisexual zoomer. Another account said, holy shit, Republicans are so dumb. One singular ounce of research and you would have found this interview talking about the one in October. I swear to God, you morons are addicted to being humiliated. Prop up Alyssa Liu all you want. She has the same thoughts as Amber Glenn. I'm dying. Okay, well, she did not make politics her entire identity. Like Amber Glenn. Amber Glynn was posting on Instagram about how she was so anxious because everybody was talking about her politics that she brought up that she made a big deal out of so she couldn't compete. It was so stressful. Her anxiety, all of that stuff like that is not the same thing. The issue is not the athlete's voting record and what party they are aligned with. It's whether they are bringing that into the Olympic Games, whether that is deterring them from honestly representing Team USA in a wholesome and respectful way. Like, that's the issue. Anyway, moving on. Another person commented and said, she effing hates you guys. Like, I mean, come on, people. Again, I don't even know how exasperated I can really be about this, but, like, imagine if we were tweeting this at every lib who was posting about watching Yellowstone. Like, Taylor Sheridan hates you. Taylor Sheridan isn't a lib. Stop watching. Like, you all sound like babies. Who cares? Why are you trying to make this into something that it's not? This is a rare moment when the country seems unified, when people are happy and excited and inspired, and you're trying to make it polarizing for literally no reason. Anyway, moving on. This was one of the best posts about her, just because of how ironic and out of touch it was, but this guy retweeted that same House Republicans post and said, claiming immigrants and their children when it's convenient and useful for you effing spineless snakes. Like that's rich coming from a Democrat. Seriously, like maybe look in the mirror, guys. Like, that is exactly what Democrats have done for years. That is one of the reasons, in my opinion, why Donald Trump won in 2024. Like you collect these little intersectional voting blocks, you make them think that they need you, that they need to rely on a benevolent Democrat government, and then you discard them once you get into office or when they start questioning your goodwill. It's probably why naturalized immigrants shifted towards Trump in 2024. This is from the Cato Institute. Naturalized immigrants probably voted Republican in 2024. And in here they wrote that naturalized immigrants went from favoring in 2020 by 27 points to switching all the way to favoring Trump by one point. So obviously something happened. It seems obvious to me that they realized that they were being used and that you actually weren't doing anything for them. Crazy idea. Now, what is not crazy is buying a suppressor from Silencer's Shop. Because shooting is great, but shooting suppressed is better. It is way better. It is a noticeable difference. You have better control, less recoil, and it is just a more enjoyable shooting experience overall. However, the problem is, for a long time getting a suppressor felt expensive. It was confusing, it was buried in mountains of government paperwork. But that is where science they have made the entire process so simple. And right now it is actually easier and more affordable than it has ever been because there is no longer a $200 tax stamp cost. So that is one less government tax on your rights. And Silencer Shop walks you through everything. You just go online, you choose your suppressor, you create your profile with them, sign a couple forms, and they handle all of the other heavy lifting. Alex and I have personally bought a few suppressors and guns through Silencer Shop and the entire process was so simple and seamless and we are loving our suppressors. It genuinely makes the entire shooting process so much more fun. And the best part is Silencer Shop is also out there fighting for our rights every single day. They are actively suing the federal government to make it easier to own suppressors and short barreled rifles and other regulated items. Because exercising your rights should not come with government overreach. So they are trying to make it easy on every level for us. So if you are ready to upgrade your shooting experience, head on over to silencershop.com cooper to get started again. That is silencershop.com because shooting suppressed just makes you better. As does eating an all American Good Rancher steak. Now, unlike other companies out there, Good Ranchers is a meat company that is 100% committed to America and our ranchers. Every single cut they offer is raised on local American farms, not to mention their entire packaging and fulfillment process takes place right here. And their customer support team is also in house. And it is staffed by Americans who speak English, which is amazing. And with every order placed, Good Ranchers donates a portion of the profits to various veterans organizations. They truly walk the walk. The product is amazing and the people behind it are even better. Now, I have been a subscriber for years now and I just love how easy it is to manage all of my Good Ranchers orders. So when life gets busy or I'm traveling, I can just pause or move my order in a few clicks. It is simple, flexible. It is built around your schedule. They are trying to make your life as convenient as possible. So if you are ready to support a company that is committed to honoring America, just visit Good Ranchers today and use Code Brett at checkout for $25 off your first order. And if you decide to subscribe to any of their boxes of 100% American meat, you will save up to $500 a year. Again, that is Code Brett for an extra $25 off your first order on top of the $500 you'll save this year if you subscribe, just go to goodranchers.com and that's American meat delivered. Anyway, back to the story. That uproar from Leftist Online did not deter anyone's love of Alyssa Liu. Thank goodness. And people online had some fantastic responses to these tweets. Like one person said right wingers like Alyssa Liu because she enjoys representing America instead of acting like she is a a slave to an evil empire. Like she actually stood for the national anthem. She put her hand over her heart. Shocker. Imagine that she was happy to represent us. He goes on and he says leftists are confused because it is a hardline rule of the left. You cannot enjoy art if the artist does not invoke the right. Political incantations. Exactly. Life's a lot more fun when you get out of that bubble. I'm just saying. My friend Kongmin was also posting about this. He shared a similar sentiment and he wrote, leftoids can't understand why conservatives cheer a girl like Alyssa Liu because their worldview demands total ideological conformity and purity. Mildly disagree on one issue and you're not just wrong. You are subhuman, unworthy of any admiration or basic respect. Someone whose life must be utterly and completely destroyed. That's not an exaggeration. We saw what happened in 2020. We have seen the cancel culture for people that they loved, for family and friends. Not an exaggeration. Anyway, Kongman goes on and says conservatives can disagree with somebody's politics, yet still celebrate her talent, especially when she wins gold for Team usa, drapes herself in the flag, and openly expresses her love for America. One side hates everyone to their right across the board, and the other can celebrate a cute American figure skater even when she does not check every box. The divide between left right in America is between people who hate America and want to destroy it versus those who love America and want to preserve it. It is that simple. And it really is. Like, again, we are just happy that she checked her personal politics at the door and that she showed genuine joy and gratitude for our country and the opportunities it afforded her. Like that is the bare minimum. But we love it. And we also love that unlike other athletes like angry and elitist Eileen Gu, that she did not leave to go compete for the ccp even after she and her father were literally spied on by them. We love, in typical American spirit, that she and many other skaters have bucked the normal figure skating trends and did so with fire and passion and excellence, that we are pushing the sport forward and regardless of politics. I also think that so many people of many different ages and just across the aisle see ourselves in her story of having a passion for something but then being burned out, getting beaten down, feeling like you could not excel underneath somebody else's structure, and then being able to come back on her own terms and absolutely crush it. Whether that is at school or in sports, in your career, your personal life like that is a very universal experience. And her coming back to the Olympics with this newfound joy and skill was so inspiring to watch, even if you do not give a damn about figure skating. Now, interestingly, though, to be fair, not all conservatives agree with the sentiment. And not all conservatives are enjoying watching her. One substacker did a piece on this, talking about her positively, you know, her patriotism. And this commenter under the substack was quite angry. So I'm gonna read it to you. And they write, this is why conservatives always lose. Alyssa Liu hates you. She believes everything that you hate. Oh, but she skated. Who cares? Her version of America still involves turning it into a third world shithole and punishing you for dissent. When leftists encounter somebody who supports Trump, they do what they can to ruin them. Cancel sponsorships, get them blacklisted, kirk them. They do this because they want to win. And they are. You aren't taking the high road by celebrating the victory of somebody with identical views to Amber Glenn, someone who would readily support your blacklisting. You could not be woke and a patriot at the same time. And Liu knows that because she skates for herself, for her career. Her standing for the flag or holding a US flag is the absolute bare minimum thing. And somehow you think that she left her politics at the door. She didn't. She is still openly pro leftist on everything, despite fake headlines. You are a prey animal. Now listen, I am sure posting that comment felt really good. I think this person had a lot that he needed to get off of his chest. I understand the sentiment, I understand the anger. And we have actually been talking about this idea a lot in recent episodes. This idea that conservatives very often play by the rules. We take the high ground, we are willing to reach across the aisle. We value moral consistency, we don't want government involved. So we take a step back. Meanwhile, the left is rabid, as we know. They don't play by the rules. They create their own rules. They are hyper partisan, they are tribal, they're collectivists. And honestly, they usually get a lot more done. Now I can agree with that and I can agree that our strategy in D.C. and in local politics maybe should change and adapt a little bit. But I refuse to allow myself agreeing with that sentiment on a broad level to turn me into somebody who hates everyone, who might not agree with me and cannot experience joy outside of a political win. Like that does not seem like a happy existence. That's not a life that I want to live. Like, I might be black pilled on a lot of things, but I am not that black pilled. Rounding it out here, this is probably my favorite comment of all. This guy said, hey genius, anyone with eyes that saw the zebra hair and pierced fucking gums could guess with a 99.98% accuracy that she wasn't exactly right wing. We're just happy that she represented the country and can't unholy ass, your brain is broken. And yeah, like that other commenter said, maybe that is the bare minimum. Maybe we're being duped here. But you know what? It's a bare minimum that I am happy to celebrate because of the world that we have been living in for the last decade where people have been so excited to burn our flag. Who talk about our country with such utter disrespect and disgust. So I'm sorry if I get excited that somebody with great joy and skill does not do all of those things, like, let me have that moment. But anyway, the point is, I do not need to know Alyssa Liu's politics. I do not need to agree with her politics in order to revel in her joy and appreciate her skill. Just like I don't need to know the political leanings of every single Team USA Hockey player to know that they also kicked unholy ass and told Canada to shove it. I do not care who they voted for. I am simply excited. I am so happy that all of those young men seemed honored to represent our country. Like, just watch what Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal against Canada, had to say. This should just fill you with American pride.